Well it has been a while since I was last on here. School has kept me busy. So anyway my art history class met at the Norton Simon Art Museum this afternoon in Pasadena, CA. The museum is beautiful both on the inside and out. I was very excited to view the art they had on display. This was going to be one of the first time I would be able to see, in person, the art that is in my art history books.

So lets get showing the pictures.

Puccio Di Simone (Italian, active c. 1343-62)

Madonna and Child with Angels, c. 1350

Tempera on panel.

To see a painting in person that is over 650 years old is a weird feeling. It is a time machine. I could see the brush strokes and the carving marks in the wood. I could almost see the artist painting this in his studio.

Madonna and Child with Book

Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael (Italian, 1583-1520)

Madonna and Child with Book, c. 1502-1503

Oil on panel

This Raphael painting was amazing to stand in front of. The camera did not pick up just how vivid the colors were. The blue in the sky glows. I could not really see any brush strokes either.

Giovanni Battista Gaulli, called Baciccio (Italian, 1639-1709)

St. Joseph and the Infant Christ, c. 1670-1685

Oil on canvas

There was a pictures of an x-ray that was taken of this painting and it showed some interesting under paintings. Originally St. Joseph was looking to the right while the infant Christ reached for his head.

Luca Giordano (Italian, 1632-1705)

Birth of the Virgin, c. 1696-1698

Oil on canvas.

I liked this one because of the great clouds and the strong use of light. I will be studying this here shortly for a cloud piece I will be doing.

Francisco de Zurbaran (Spanish, 1598-1664)
Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose, 1633

Oil on canvas.

I was amazed to read the textures of the skin of the fruit in this painting. Also, the detail in the basket is just crazy.

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)

Meleager and Atalanta and the Hunt of the Calydonia Boar, c. 1618-1619

Oil on panel.

This painting is pure energy on canvas. Each figure has its own movement and purpose. This is a oil sketch, a modello, for a larger painting.

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)

The Holy Women at the Sepulchre, c. 1611-1614

Oil on panel.

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)

David Slaying Goliath, c. 1616

Oil on canvas

Domenikos Theotokopoulos, called El Greco (Spanish, born in Greece, 1541-1614)

Portrait of and Old Man with Fur (Manusso Greco?) c. 1590-1600

Oil on canvas.

Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck (Dutch, 1601/03-1662)

Portrait of a Woman, 1641

Oil on canvas.

Look at that detail on the collar. I thought it was funny, I was just talking about this painting just a few days earlier in art history class.

Rembrant van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)

Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat, 1633

Oil on panel.

The collar on this man was done very well. The light and shadow that flows over and through the fabric is something that I will be studying more.

Rembrant van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)

Self-Portrait, c. 1636-1638

Oil on panel.

We all love self portraits… Well I do.

Rembrant van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)

Portrait of a Boy, 1655-60

Oil on canvas.

It was neat to see the change in Rembrandt’s style over the length of his life. In the beginning he had much more detailed and careful brush strokes. Later the strokes were more sketchy and loose.

Hendrick van Steenwijck the Younger (Flemish, c. 1580-1649)

The Liberation of St. Peter, 1618

Oil on panel.

This painting really caught my eye. I have an interest of light and form, and this really made me stop and look. This painting holds its own even into our time. I have seen many digital game art works that look very similar to this.

Jan Steen (Dutch, c. 1626-1679)

Marriage at Cana, 1676

Oil on canvas.

This is another painting that caught my eye. Actually it was the dark areas of the room. Another great use of light and dark.